Aftermath
by JustANerdThing
Summary: After the prison was destroyed this what happens to Rick/Carl, Michonne, Darryl/Beth. This is what I think will happen. I will add more chapters and include the rest of the characters. Please, please comment and tell me what you think, even if it's just one word! I go CRAZY not knowing if people like it or not.
1. Chapter 1

_Don't look back. Just keep moving_. Carl chants in his head to keep thoughts of the prison at bay_. No point in thinking of the past, it won't help me now_. Walking is made harder with his father's weight resting on his shoulder.

Rick tries to carry his own weight as much as he can, but with each step a stabbing pain runs up the leg that was shot.

The forest is alive with birds and insects; the wind is cool but contrasts with the hot sun to make a perfect day. _Perfect_, Carl thinks, _how out of place it sounds in this new world. Perfect has no place here, because eventually it will always be destroyed_. As if on cue the groans of hungry walkers warns them of the danger nearby. Rick pulls out a knife in response to the noise, but Carl knows there's no way Rick could take down a walker in his slowed condition and the swelling of one eye makes it impossible to see out of.

"I got this," says Carl in a confident voice.

Carl pulls out his own knife and walks toward the duo of oncoming walkers. The one in the front is a young girl, a little shorter than him; fresh bright blood on her mouth and shirt indicates she ate recently. She tries to lunge after him when he gets closer, but being faster and expecting it he jumps back and drives the knife into her skull. Her body slumps down in front of the other walker. The other one trips over her body and lands on it's face. Carl takes the opportunity to kill it. It's fortunate that it fell, since the walker was a tall male he would've had to kick it onto the ground to reach it's head.

Not long after walking Rick says in a gruff voice, "Carl…Carl, I have to stop." He limps away a few feet without the help of his son and throws up whatever food was in his stomach, behind a bush. Carl pulls out the Beretta from it's holster and checks the ammo. _Damn it,_ he thinks, _only eight rounds; won't be enough if we stumble across a herd._

"Did you say something," asks Rick looking bewildered. Carl glances around to see if his dad could have heard someone nearby, but they seem to be the only two people in the forest.

He shakes his head in response.

Rick shakes his head, "Wait…, what's going on."

"I uh-" Carl stops baffled by his father's behavior, "We have to keep moving, walkers miles away could have heard the commotion from earlier and be headed this way."

An arrow flies into the skull of a squirrel killing it instantly. Darryl pulls the dead animal off the arrow and stashes it with the rest.

"Bad day, but at least we got somethin' to eat," he says to Beth.

Exasperated by the hours of running and crying she gives a grim nod in response. He takes a swig of water from a canteen, and then hands it over to Beth, "Here; you gotta' drink some water, we've been running for miles and you've hardly had a sip."

She shakes her head, "I'm not thirsty."

He keeps his hand stretched out with the canteen, "C'mon you'll get dehydrated," after a pause he says, "Don't make me force you."

She gives a slight smile and takes a sip, but realizes how thirsty she was once the water hits her tongue and drinks over half the canteen. "Sorry," she says when she realizes that she basically just took all of the water.

"Nothin' to be sorry for, bound to need some fresh water anyway," he says calmly. For hours they've been skidding past walkers, but for the first time all day there isn't a walker in sight. Darryl sits down on a large boulder setting his crossbow aside, choosing to now work with the bowie knife and starts to skin the game. "I think we'll eat a little before we get on our way."

She sits hesitantly, "Are you sure? What if there is a walker nearby or shouldn't we be looking for the rest of the group?"

"Nah, we won't get far on empty stomachs and you'll keep an eye out when I'm skinning and starting the fire."

"Won't a fire attract walkers?"

"I'm fine with eating raw squirrel," he takes a look at her, "but I don't know if you could stomach it."

Before, Beth had the adrenaline that worked like morphine to dull the pain of watching her father die and not knowing if the same happened to her sister. If that wasn't enough she doesn't know what happened to the children or Judith. That was her job and she didn't do it. Now that she's calmed down and there's no immediate danger she can think about it and the pain it brings is too much too bear.

The walker's head rolls a few feet before coming to a stop, teeth snapping hoping to snag a bite. Michonne slides her katana back in its sheath. She's been hoping to hear or come along someone from the group, but she hasn't had any luck. The last person she saw was Rick, but lost him when she went to get some supplies: basic medicines, food, and a few guns all stored in a pack. By the time she came back she couldn't find anyone and barely made it out herself as the walkers started to take over the prison.

A sudden thought comes into her mind, _what if I never find any of them? What if they're all dead? What if I have to spend the rest of my life alone like before I met Andrea?_ Although being alone back then was bearable, it's easier to have no one you care about around you, no pain of losing someone. It wasn't until she met Andrea and the rest of the group that she realized how alone she had felt and reminded her that she never wanted to feel that way again. Her mind races with competing thoughts trying to get over the painful possibility the she might be alone.

_Get it together_, she tells herself and pushes every devastating thought to the back of her mind and focuses on the immediate. _Food, water, shelter, and finding the group that's what I need to focus on. More than likely everyone else is looking for the same thing so the only way to find them is by looking for the first three. Houses, a highway, or maybe a lake or river would be a good bet to find people._

She pulls out the map from her pocket and looks at each highway, homes settlement, and body of water. She looks to her right at the afternoon sun; west. She estimates where on the map she is, based on the direction she left the prison and how far she must be from it. There's a river that must not be more than five miles from her. Better than nothing she thinks as she heads for that direction.

"Beth, come over here." She trots over and crouches next to Darryl. He points to the walker's heads that lie several feet from their bodies. The fashion of how they were killed is all too familiar.

"Know any apocalyptic survivors that use a sword?" He asks with a smile. This is the first whiff of evidence that could lead to finding the group. Darryl looks at the imprints of feet in the mud, deciphering the walkers schlep from Michonne's footprints.

"Stay where you are," he orders Beth. He gets up careful not to ruin the tracks and follows the direction Michonne came from and the direction she must have went. After several minutes he finally looks to Beth.

"She went that way," he says pointing to his right. He looks at the sun that will be setting in a matter of minutes. "We'll follow her path in the mornin', tracking in the dark is useless." He looks at the river to his left and to the trees all around; that provides little cover from walkers.

He lies down with his back against a rough boulder; he picks up a stick and begins sharpening it with his knife, just to have something to do. Beth lies down beside him, "So, we just sleep here? Out in the open?"

"Yeah I'll take first watch. You should get some sleep."

Beth turns on her side, her back facing Darryl, wishing that the long day would help her fall asleep. As much as she tries she can't keep her grief pushed aside. That image keeps flooding through her mind, the sword slicing through her father's neck and later the governor cutting the rest of his head off. A scorching hatred of the governor wrenches inside of her. She had never thought she could hold so much hate for another. She wants him to die, she thinks, for him to suffer for eternity, wants him to burn in hell. The thought suddenly brings her back from her frenzied rage_. Dad wouldn't want me to think these things, wishing for another's pain, not forgiving, and choosing for the hatred to stay inside_, she thinks to herself.

_He was good that way_, she thinks, _he never faltered in his belief of God even though I think every other person, including myself, has questioned their faith_. She wonders if there is a heaven if he is there and watching over her. How badly she misses him. She suddenly realizes that she's crying, sobbing, uncontrollably, the pain in her chest deepens to an unfathomable agony.

Darryl had thought that Beth had gone to sleep, but about ten minutes after lying down he heard crying. She sounded so horribly damaged and sad, he felt useless just sitting there. Not sure of what to do, he awkwardly puts an arm around her. She quickly turns around and wraps her arms around him, sobbing on his shoulder. Cautiously he puts his arms around her, trying to comfort her. Slowly her sobbing quieted down, the shuddering stopped, and a dull ache replaced the tears.

Unsure what to do next Darryl leaves his hands wrapped around her. He's not used to dealing with emotions, usually whenever someone was crying other people from the group would help comfort them, but things are different now.

A slight glare bounces of the window from the full moon. Carl and Rick had stumbled across some houses that seem untouched by walkers, except for two that had been by the front door. Carl to restless to sleep wanders around the house aimlessly, occasionally checking for stored food or medicine, but mostly barren. He strolls back into the living room and checks on his father who had been so exhausted he nearly passed out before he was able to get him inside. "I should've killed the Governor," Carl says to himself. He slumps down on the floor and quietly cries himself to sleep.

"WAKE UP! WAKE UP!" Carl shouts at Rick, slapping and shaking him, willing him to open his eyes. Tears stream down his face as he thinks, _I can't do this alone, I can't live this live alone_. He checks for Rick's pulse, but he doesn't feel any beat that would signify that his father is alive. He begins beating Rick's chest out of frustration, continuing to scream.

"Carl," says a voice behind him. He whips around surprised to find a familiar face staring back at him.


	2. Avoid Confronation

"Wake up," says Darryl shaking Beth slightly. Darryl puts a finger to his mouth, shh, he whispers and points for her to look at what's behind the boulder. She glances around and sees hundreds of walkers not ten feet from them.

He waves his hand to signal for her to get closer, than puts his mouth close to her ear and whispers, "Wait 'till they pass."

She nods. They watch the walkers stumble by, for some reason Beth pays attention to how each one is dressed. One was a doctor, another a policeman, but most are dressed in normal clothes. She looks down at her own clothes; nothing that stands out. She wonders if one day she will be amongst those walkers and people will look at her and think the same thing. Eventually the herd dwindles until they are alone.

"Com'n," says Darryl. Cautiously he stands up, the bulk of the heard is far enough away, but if they're too loud they could easily turn back around. They head in the direction that Michonne went.

The groans from walkers start to get closer. Darryl puts a hand out to stop Beth; he looks around and sees four walkers headed towards them. Arrows fly into their skulls, he pushes their heads on to the ground with his boot to pull out the arrows.

Beth opens her mouths to speak, but a scream rushes it out when she feels her arm pulled. She turns around and sees the walker with its mouth open trying to bite her forearm. Screaming she tugs her arm to keep it from biting her, but like a game of tug-of-war it pulls her back. Her flesh inches away from its mouth a knife slams into the walker's skull. Darryl pulls his knife from its head and the walker slumps onto the ground. Beth pulls her arm back, shaking from the adrenaline; she checks her arm for bites or scratches.

"Shit," says Darryl. The heard had turned around and is headed for them, their groans are even louder and their pace faster now that they can see a meal in front of them. "We gotta go."

They run from the walkers, although they're much faster than the walkers they're also more tired. Sweat runs down their faces; the wind from yesterday is gone and replaced by a blistering heat as the sun is able to work alone.

Darryl turns his head around while running and watches the walkers try to keep up with them. He grabs the back of Beth's elbow and tows her with him, making a bunch of turns. When He sees a large tree to his right, he pulls Beth with him behind it. The herd catches up only moments later; the heard continues to head straight thinking that's where the food went. Beth tries to breathe through her nose to not make so much noise, but it's still loud. Once they hear the stragglers of the herd continue past, they get out from behind the tree and head back to track Michonne's path.

A loud snap from a twig behind them alerts them. Darryl whips around with the crossbow aimed at whoever is behind them.

"Tyreese."

Michonne strides across the living room towards Carl and wraps her arms around him. "What's wrong?" The relief of finding Carl and Rick ebbs away as she realizes there's something wrong with Rick.

"I don't know. He won't wake up, and I can't hear a pulse."

As she listens she checks for his pulse and feels a light thud. "He's alive. What medicine do you have?" A spurt of panic rises inside of her, she can handle fighting and the walkers, but she never deals with trying to heal people. _I'm anything but a doctor_, she thinks.

Carl pulls out whatever medicine he could find around the house, as Michonne pulls off her pack of supplies and dumps it on the floor. She sorts through the medicine and pulls out whatever could help. "Tell me exactly what happened."

Carl tells her about Rick's strange behavior, throwing up, and falling asleep as soon as he got on the couch. Michonne opens one of Rick's eyelids to look at his eye. "His pupils are dilated. I think he has a concussion. I don't think it's anything serious, he'll wake up."

"Are you sure," asks Carl?

"Yeah," she looks around remembering something. Already knowing the answer she asks in a somber voice, "Judith?"

Carl shakes his head. He tries to shrug of the pain he feels and blink back the tears in his eyes, but they fall over anyway. Michonne wraps her arms around him and he hugs her back. It had been a long time since someone had held him, it makes him feel safe like from when he was a little kid and his mom would hold him when he was scared or sad. He thinks of how harsh he was with his mom before she died pulling away when she ever tried to give a caressing hand or brush back his hair, spitting harsh words at her, and doing whatever she told him not to do. She holds him until he stops crying, slightly embarrassed he pulls back.

"I think we should take care of that bullet wound," he says in a throaty voice.

Michonne and Carl carry an unconscious Rick up the stairs, the bullet out of his leg, sterilized and bandaged to the best of their ability.

"When he wakes up, we need to convince him to lose weight," says Michonne with a tight smile as they struggle with Rick's weight up the stairs. Carl chuckles through gritted teeth. They get him into the bedroom closest to him and dump him on the bed. Just to make sure, Michonne checks Rick's pulse again, but sure enough there's still a beat.

"I'm gonna check out the houses around here. You stay here," Michonne says to Carl.

"I can help you," Carl disputes.

"No, you stay. Rick might need you."

After leaving the fifth house empty handed, annoyance rises in Michonne. Each house was bone dry of any food or supplies. Clearly other people had been through these houses many times. A walker stumbles out of a backyard and heads for Michonne. She pulls out her katana and hacks it twice in an X like motion.

As soon as she enters the next house, she immediately feels something is wrong. The room is eerily dark from all of the windows being covered and her eyes haven't quite adjusted to the light yet and the strong stench of vomit and liqueur reaches her nose nearly choking her. She reaches for her katana.

"Ah, ah, I wouldn't do that if I were you," says a male voice from the corner of the room. A man steps into a spot that isn't as dark, Michonne spots the pistol aimed at her.

The wooden church doors snap the silence with a loud creek as Tyreese struggles to open it. A flood of solace floods into Beth, _They're alive!, _Beth thinks in her mind. For inside the church Lizzie paces back and forth at alter flustered and Mica sits in the cross legged with a small Judith in her arms.

"When we left the prison Janie and Trevor was with us, but they didn't make it," Tyreese says looking down at the crowbar in his hand as he slightly turns it round and round in his hand. Guilt builds up in Tyreese, as he remembers the two children that were torn from them as they tried to make it out. Daryl sets his hand on Tyreese's shoulder for a brief second, "Sorry, man."

Beth holds Judith in her arms and consoles the 2 girls, "I can't believe Judith made it out."

"Her name's _Asskicker_ for a reason," pipes up Daryl, happy to see the baby is alive.

"Did you see who else made it out? Sasha?" Asks Tyreese concern creeping into his voice_, she had just started to get better from whatever flu hit the prison how would she be on the run_, he thinks to himself.

"Nah, the only thing that got close to finding anyone was some footprints that may have been Michonne's. We were follow'n her tracks when a damn herd chased us off," says Daryl.

"Do you think she could be with anyone else," asks Tyreese.

"There's only one set of footprints, but she's bound to come across someone."

"Are you girls good with leaving," Daryl asks Lizzie and Mika. They both nod their head in response.

Michonne slowly drops her hand to rest at her sides. Her stomach tightens, her veins feel empty, and without thought her hands form into a tight fist the way it always does when her body prepares for a fight. She could detect the vice in his voice as he said each word slowly craving the gratification of being in control.

"Well what are you up to?" says the man taunting her. She notices three other men also in the room, but clearly this guy is the one in charge.

"Just taking a look around, but I see this place is already taken," she says coolly although there's a tightness in her voice that goes undetected. She backs away and heads for the front door, hoping to avoid a confrontation. A figure steps in front of the door blocking her.

"I don't think you ought to be leavin' so soon," he says, "I mean you just got here." With that he gives her a look up and down with a wicked grin.

"So that's how it's gonna be," she says nonchalantly.

"Yeah, that's how it's gonna be. Kyle, get the bitch," he orders. A man comes up behind her and puts their arm around her in a chokehold without the force behind it. She acts immediately grabbing the forearm that's in front of her and pulls him along the side and in front of her in a matter of seconds. In a delayed reaction, they shoot, but dumbly just kill the guy "Kyle" who had grabbed her. Blood spills from his mouth, as Michonne uses the opportunity to pull out her katana and slice the head off another man. Without being seen she runs to a corner that the light doesn't touch and slowly she steps into the space below the stairs, hidden.

"WHAT THE HELL," The man who was in charge growls. "Where the hell did she go!"

One of them walks past the staircase and Michonne leaps out and cuts him in two. When she turns to face the other man his gun is cocked and pointed straight at her. They both lock eyes and a gunshot is fired into the air.

The man only stands for a half second after the bullet punctures the middle of his forehead. Michonne turns around shocked to find Carl with his gun still poised in the middle of the door way. She slides the Katana back into its sheath and walks over to him, "I told you to stay with your father."

"It's a good thing I didn't," he retorts.

"They were just some hicks, I could handle them."

"Didn't say you couldn't."

She turns around walking past the dead bodies and starts digging through the packs, "Wanna help?"

Carl places his berretta in the holster and walks inside, "eck," he says in response to the smell. "That's saying a lot considering I'm used to the smell or pigs and rotting corpses."

Darryl holds his hand out signaling for everyone to stop. "Do you hear that?"

They all listen and hear a hum, but it sounds a bit more like a rumble. In fact it sounds a lot like a…car. "The bus, I saw it drive away," says Tyreese. He's filled with hope that maybe Sasha is in there.

They all start running in that direction, Beth does her best to not rustle Judith, but still Judith starts to cry out. The baby screech is so high pitched, that several walkers that hadn't noticed them turn around. Beth does her best to soothe the screaming child, but her efforts are futile. Daryl and Tyreese turn back around to kill the walkers but with Judith still crying more and more walkers come out.

Lizzie turns to Mika, "We have to kill her. Judith will end up getting us all killed." Beth's jaw drops speechless, although the look of horror on her face says it all.

"What's wrong with you," Mika says to her.

"It's either all of us or just her," Lizzie says defensively. _Why can't they see it has to be done?_ She thinks to herself.

"There's too many of them," says Daryl taking Judith from Beth's arms. They run for the sound of the bus with the growing number of walkers behind them as Judith continues to cry

"Stop!" Glenn runs to the front of the bus. "Stop the bus. I think I saw something." He had his eyes out looking for Maggie or anyone else from the prison and had several times pulled the bus over only to find the movement was just some walkers.

"It's probably some walkers. It's not worth anyone getting killed," says Jake. He was one of the people who had come from Woodberry and had been sick, but pulled through like many of them. He had the knack of annoying Glenn, for some reason this guy had the presumption that he would be in control, which wasn't exactly sliding well with Glenn. He also didn't trust him as Jake doesn't have any need to find the rest of the group, because he hadn't held any close ties to anyone.

Glenn knocks Jake's foot off the gas pedal and slams his foot on the break. Everyone slams to the front and shouts of complaint rain from the bus as Glenn jumps out and goes to check out the movement he had seen from the bus.

"Maggie!" He shouts out.

In response a person calls out his name, "Glenn!" His heart drops to his stomach, the voice was male and unless Maggie has some serious throat problems that was definitely not her.

Glen waves back to the bus, "We found someone!"

After a few minutes he sees Daryl, Judith, Tyreese, Lizzie, Mika, and Beth emerge from the trees.

"Maggie," Beth asks Glenn.

"I don't know," he replies grimly.

Rick opens his eyes and looks around the dusty, but unruffled room. His head his fuzzy and blocks any thought of how he got their or even his last memory. He sits up and rests his head in his hands, as his head aches in complaint to the movement.

But something else catches his attention from his movement; the bathroom that's connected to the room shows a reflection. He stares at the reflection, that creature looking back at him, couldn't possibly be himself. The reflection shows a bruised, broken man with a glaze stare.

He stands up leaving the warmth of the bed behind; ignoring the sharp searing pains that run through his body he limps over to the mirror. This man in the mirror has lost the fire, the will. "No, this isn't me." Rick says to himself.

Rick feels a pang of guilt as he thinks of everyone he's failed. Everyone at the prison, everyone who passed, everyone he failed._ I thought I was doing the right thing. The council, we made decisions equally_. _Trying to make sure Carl could grow half decently away from the chaos the world had turned to. I just wanted to shut out the world and I wanted for Carl to do the same._

He takes off the torn shirt and limps towards the closet in his boxers hoping that a man about his size had lived in the house. The closet if full of mostly women clothing and a smaller pile of men clothing. He feels a little pain thinking of the couple who were now probably dead. In his old home Lori had taken most of the closet with her own clothing and a much smaller pile were his clothes. He pulls out some cloths that are about his size and dresses quickly in a black button up and jeans, noticing the clean bandages around his gunshot as he slides on the pants. As he rolls up the sleeves to his elbows, several loud booms go off a close distance away. The noise was undeniably gunshots. A shiver of fear runs up his spine.

"Carl?" Rick says in a gruff voice. He limps down the stairs as quickly as he can. "Carl?" Downstairs he straps his gun belt around his waist and checks the rest of the house. "Carl!" In the kitchen, he hears the front door squeak open; he pulls the Python out of the holster and turns the corner to face the door. Rick points the gun down when he sees Carl in the doorway. He's about to ask him why he left when Michonne enters the house behind Carl.

"The gunshots," Rick asks.

Michonne and Carl look up surprised to see him awake.

"You look like crap," says Michonne smiling. He smiles, but still waits for the answer. "There were a couple of guys looking for trouble. Lucky for us they had a lot of food." She holds up the bulging back of canned food as evidence.

Carl sets down the food next to the other supplies and opens a can of canned fruit, dividing the food into separate bowls. Rick feels a tinge of pity, he could practically hear Carl's stomach growl from where he stands, but still Carl restrains from diving into the food and slowly eats. Michonne picks up a bowl and hands it over to Rick, then picks up one for herself, sitting with Carl on the couch.

"How's your head," she asks him while she eats.

He thinks about the question. Any coherent thoughts were a struggle and even then it was muddled and fuzzy.

"I've had worse," which was an understatement.

"Think you can travel?"

He stares at her, "Planning on going somewhere?"


	3. Survive

**Hi there, so I'm just continue my chapters separately from the episodes and hopefully finish the last 5 chapters with no big interruptions. I know the show is way better than what I write, but I like writing for the pastime. **

**Doesn't anyone else totally want Rick and Michonne get together?! I've been wanting them to put them together ever since they first showed Michonne go to the prison. Anyways if you read the whole chapter PLEASE comment and tell me what you think even if it's a short review. **

Droplets of sweat roll down Bob's forehead as the sun relentlessly burns through the afternoon day.

Bob rests his weight on a tree, wheezing he implores, "Just…one…second."

Before he can regain his bearings the groans of walkers get closer. Sasha and Maggie put their arms around Bob's shoulder and help carry his weight as they walk.

Sasha had fought of the fever surprisingly well considering their conditions, but Bob hadn't been so fortunate with handling his wound. Their stomachs clench and growl begging for more food; although hunger had become something that could be adjusted to since the apocalypse living in the prison had pampered them more than they thought. Their limbs ache in complaint to the constant labor, with the perpetuating lack of sleep, and dehydration.

It had seemed like they walked around the forest lost never finding a home, store, or car to hide in. _We've already been here_, Sasha thinks to herself as she stares at the twisted tree branch that she must have seen twice before in the last 36 hours.

* * *

"Focus on me. Breathe. Breathe," people say to together to the former Woodbury resident Gladys, an older woman, who wasn't as fortunate to bounce back from the fever that hit the prison. Buried in quilts soaked in her bright red blood from couching, she struggles for the air that can't seem to make it all the way to her lungs before she begins coughing again. Glenn stands up from beside her, quickly others take his place to support her in her last moments.

"It's not looking good," he whispers to Daryl and Tyreese. Although it's no secret, she is going to die; it just felt like something only to be discussed in hushed tones.

"What should we do when she…goes," Tyreese asks.

Of coarse they will have to stab her so she doesn't turn, but what about her body. Usually they would bury bodies, but they don't have a shovel and they can't leave her body in the bus.

Daryl turns to Jake, "Pull off at the next store or station. We'll check it out." He turns back to Glenn and Tyreese and nods to Beth holding Judith, "We can't keep Judith in the same bus with everyone with the fever." He pauses to glance at Gladys, "We'll worry about her when we get there."

As if on que Gladys stirs up and another coughing fit erupts. Her short blonde hair is matted and dirty; her skin is ghostly pale and covered in sweat and blood. Those who held a close connection with her hold her hand as the fight inside steadies. Glenn goes back by her side as the small spurts of air squeezes into her lungs and back out for the last time.

* * *

"You know how to hotwire a car," Michonne asks skeptically as Rick opens the driver side door of a blue Volkswagon.

"Maybe," he responds as he pulls out the wire below the steering wheel. The alarm of the car goes off, making them all tense as the ear piercing siren attracts walkers. The tenseness quickly passes as they adjust to the deafening noise.

Michonne pulls out her katana and slices the head of a solo walker.

"Could I try that," asks Carl. He motions to his gun, "It's not as loud."

She nods her head and rests the katana in his hands with her hands around his, "Be careful, it's a little heavy."

"It's not too heavy," Carl says confidently.

She shows him a few strokes, and then lets him try it on his own. Michonne nods her head.

"Okay now try killing this walker," she says nodding to the walker that is edging closer.

Carl lifts up the katana and tries to cut off its head, but doesn't lift it high enough and ends up cutting its torso. Michonne uses a wrench that was off to the side and slams it through its head.

Michonne looks at the walkers headed towards them and puts her hand out for her sword. Carl sets the katana in her hand and she kills the three in the front and leaves the fourth stumbling after her.

She hands the katana back to Carl, "Try it again."

As the walker approaches he pulls the sword up and slices its head off.

"Woah, that was pretty cool! Did you see that?" says Carl with satisfaction in his voice. As a few more walkers approach he looks to Michonne, "Can I do it again?"

She nods her head smiling at the enthusiastic boy. Three more times he slices the head off of walkers with ease. Although the sword doesn't quite glide in his hands like it does with Michonne whose skill with the sword is incomparable.

Michonne turns back to Rick who is still at work, "By the time you're done Carl's gonna be a pro with a katana."

Ironically the car rumbles to life as Rick comes out from underneath the seat. He looks at Carl and is surprised to find a smile on his face.

"You drive," he says to Michonne. As they climb inside the car Michonne bumps the dash board and a pair of keys falls into her lap. She laughs and tosses the keys at Rick, "Nice one, hotshot."

A dozen walkers try to grab onto the car as it rolls away but quickly fall off as the car speeds off.

* * *

"Shit," Jake says as the bus slowly rolls to a stop.

"What the hell do you mean "shit"?" asks Glenn annoyed.

"Well we've been running low on gas for a while. I just thought we'd find a gas station or something," he answers,

"You didn't think to tell us," Daryl says in a tight voice.

Jake shrugs in a lame response.

"We pulled over to bury Gladys, just 20 minutes ago. Was that not a good time to bring it up?" Tyreese asks.

"Well you didn't really bury her," he says in a smug voice. It was true they hadn't, they pulled over gathered some flowers around her and said a few words.

"Shut your mouth," Daryl says looking around the bus thinking, "Glenn and Tyreese, you guys will come with me."

"I want to go," says Lizzie stubbornly standing up. "We know how to use a gun and we're a good shot."

"No, everybody else should _stay_ here," Glenn pipes up.

"He's right everybody stays," Daryl agrees then turns to Jake, "if anythin' happens your ass is on the line."

Glenn, Daryl, and Tyreese jump out of the bus with a gas holder thingy mijigger.

"Asshole," Daryl says talking about Jake.

"You have no idea," Glenn says glad to have someone who agrees.

* * *

Rick awakens from a dream by Michonne and Carl talking about comics, "I thought that part was cliché."

"Yeah but it was still pretty cool," Carl says.

Rick rubs his face, "How long have I been asleep?"

Michonne shrugs, "Long enough. You needed some beauty sleep."

"Hey did you see that," says Rick pointing to the corner they just passed. Michonne puts the car in reverse and drives back.

"Stop."

In an instant the they see the three figures as they limp down the dirt path. An exhausted yet joyful sigh escapes Rick.

Michonne pulls the car down the large path and pulls up beside the three of them.

"Need a ride," she says with a grin.

Michonne, Bob, and Sasha pile in the car with them.

"Did you see where the bus went?" Maggie asks as soon as the door closes.

Michonne pulls out a map, "Suppose they'd need more gas by now."

* * *

Others on the bus that are still sick fill the silence with their coughing. Beth holds Judith close to the window hoping she will mostly breathe in the air from outside.

Lizzie stares out the window annoyed that she had to stay in the bus. She pulls out her knife and rakes it against the bottom part of the window.

"Stop that it's annoying," says Mika. But Lizzie isn't listening as something else got her eye. She stands up and walks to the back door.

"Jake." He gets up from his spot and saunters to the back door with Lizzie.

"What is it Lizzie?" he asks. His eyes follow the direction her hand points to outside and sees what she was talking about. Walkers; dozens, hundreds, a huge herd all growling and hungry for warm alive flesh.

He turn back around, "Everybody should slowly get down and not make any noise. Stay away from the windows." He leads by crouching down. Instead of his direction causing compliance, questions and worry erupt inside the bus.

"Why, what's out there?!"

"Maybe we could run?!"

"Everybody just shut up. There's a herd out there, but if we lie low they'll go right past us."

Slowly people start to get on to the ground. Lizzie tiptoes back to Mika.

They don't need to see to know when the herd is passing. Growling, groans, and the sound of their heavy footsteps give away their location. The walkers aimlessly walk past the bus, no direction, no meaning just waiting to pass by something alive.

They are all silent until a few can't hold back and start coughing.

"Shh," some whisper.

"I'm…sorry," those who were coughing apologies.

The next few seconds seems to last forever as the walkers stop. One rams itself against the front bus door, trying t see what's inside. Beth holds her breathe and yet her heart won't slow down as Judith sleeps in her arms.

Suddenly there's a gunshot in the distance and the walkers continue on their way following the gunshot. A mutual sigh runs through the whole bus as everyone calms and their tense muscle relaxes.

Screams breath the air as Jake is being bitten. One of the people who were sick had died and turned. Judith wakes up and cries with everyone else as everyone else panics running out of the bus. The bone wrenching screams sends adrenaline through Beth.

"lizzie, Mika!" Beth calls over. She hands the baby to Lizzie as she climbs through the window and crawls on top of the bus.

"Hand me Judith," she calls back.

Staring at the herd of walkers stride back to the bus, Beth pulls Judith out of the window and on to the roof with her. Those who had run out of the bus get caught in the herd and their dying screams run through air. Mika climbs out of the window next and Beth pulls her up.

As Lizzie climbs through the window, everyone else had left the bus except the walker that is zoned in on tearing the flesh off of Jake's bones. Mika lets out a small scream when she almost loses her balance and falls. The walker in the bus turns and stares at Lizzie bright red blood and fresh guts hang from its mouth.

"Lizzie come on I'll pull you up," Beth calls to her. Lizzie stares at the walker that is rushing towards her, too shocked to move.

"Carol told us to be strong," Mika yells from the top of the bus. Something finally clicks inside her, and she climbs out the window. Beth grabs on to her arms but the walker grabs her legs and tries to pull her back far enough to take a bite. Outside the walkers get closer and are almost close enough to pull her down. Lizzie kicks the walker inside of the bus that holds her leg. Once it finally loosens her grip Beth pulls her up and onto the roof with her.

* * *

"What the hell," says Daryl as he stares at the bus from behind the wheel of a SUV. A herd of walkers surround the bus trying to get the people at the top.

Michonne pull the volkswagon next to the other car. Daryl, Glen, and Tyreese had sure enough been at the gas station and picked up another car.

"We'll distract them," Michonne says to Daryl . She then honks the horn and drives past the walkers getting there attention. She slowly accelerates giving the walkers enough time to catch up to the car but not enough that they would lose interest in the car.

Tyreese and Glenn gets out of the car to help the kids and Beth off of the roof of the bus and into the car.

"They're in," Carl says to Michonne. With that she drives off leaving the walkers behind and the other car following.

The cars pull off in the middle of the road, where walkers can't be seen for miles.

Glenn and Maggie, Tyreese and Sasha, everyone embraces each other glad to see the other is still alive. Rick and Carl finally get out of the just in time to see Judith in Beth's arms.

An array of expressions cross their: faces confusion, shock, blankness, and finally a set look of joy.

"Jud…Judith. She made it," Rick asks in an incredulous voice. Beth hands over Judith and enfolds into Maggie, glad that her only family left is alive. Rick holds Judith in his arms with Carl caressing the little girl's fragile head as tears stream down their faces. Michonne rests against the car door watching them and smiling to see their reunion.

After enough time of the shock finding each other passes other questions start rising.

"Where do we go," Maggie asks.

"I-I haven't thought that far," Rick says. The group is circled together everyone still clutching their loved ones and Judith asleep in Rick's arms. Lizzie and Mica sit in the car fumbling with the radio.

Rick starts up again, "We'll find a place make it secure. Do what we always do."

"Because that worked so great last time," Beth says.

"We will. We'll find a way, we'll deal, we'll do what ever we have to. Because we have to, because we're survivors"

Lizzie turns up the radio stopping the conversation, "Those who arrive…survive."


	4. The Past

**Okay, it's up. Sorry for the wait. Thank you everyone who has read enough to have gotten this far!**

The 2 cars speed down the road, headed in the same direction. Michonne sits in the backseat facing the window a quiet anger simmers in her unsaid words tingeing the air with tension. On the other side of her Carl sits with Judith in his arms.

Rick looks back at Michonne in time to see the scowl on her face directed at him. The cold betrayed look that trusts no one reminded him of when he first met her; how defensive and closed off she had been. He wonders if he's back to square one with her.

"We care about your opinion, we just had to try this out," Rick says.

She looks back at the window.

"Mhmh," she says annoyed.

After the radio signal everything had gone chaotic. Some wanted to try to go to the place immediately, others wanted to ignore it and wave it off as a trap. After the arguing had died down they came to the decision that they wanted to go to the place that was said on the radio, all except one. Michonne distrusted the message and felt it would be safer to work it out on their own. A part of her felt it would turn out as another "Governor" dictatorship that will end up doing more damage.

"Here it is," Daryl says.

In front of them was a gate that saw large enough to let cars pass through.15 feet tall chain link fence with barbed wire at the top, had been covered with cloths so you can't see inside, wrapped around the camp.

Glenn pulls up the SUV net to the other car with the window rolled down.

"What do we do," Maggie calls over from the passenger seat next to Glenn. Daryl shrugs and honks the horn once.

After an extended amount of time and just when there about to call it quits 7 men dressed in army uniforms step out from the gate assault rifles pointed at them.

"Step out of your cars slowly with your hands up," the man in the front yells. All of the men look axceptionally similar with height and strength that could rifle an ox.

Carl sets Judith on the seat and everyone complies cautiously stepping out.

"We have a baby," Rick says.

The man in the front nods, "Alright. If you have weapons, set them on the ground."

As they cautiously do as told a tension rises in the air. Two groups not trying to kill the other, but plans can change in the feel of the moment. A look taken the wrong way or a movement that's too quick it could be seen as aggressive. They feel vulnerable as they set down their weapons, like a muzzled dog that feels the most need for aggression when it can't protect itself.

"Can we check," the man asks. Rick nods in consent. 4 of the men stand guard while the other 3 men pat down everyone to make sure they have no hidden weapons.

A man with a full head of hair and a bushy mustache to match walks out from the chain-link door. He gives the men a furtive look and they walk back inside, with the exception of the man who had done the talking.

"My name is Lieutenant Blake, but you can call me Blake if you'd prefer. This here is Charlie ," he says motioning to the man who stayed. He continues with a speech that seems routine and practiced, "We often have new comers, in fact we had a man and a woman come to us a couple of days ago, but that doesn't mean we can trust you. You will be given a place to stay; it's separated from our other residents. We have rules here and if you can't abide by them then you can leave. Every one of you is expected to earn your stay here, this aint a motel. We clear?"

Although the question may have been rhetorical Rick answers, "Yeah, we're clear." Blake takes notice of Rick then, observing that he is the one of charge.

"Get your weapons and get in your car. Open the gate." With that the chain link fence opens up and they head back to their cars with their weapons in hand. "You. I want to talk with you," Blake calls over to Rick. Daryl, Michonne, and Carl stare at Rick's back as he strolls over to Blake.

Blake turns his attention back to the cars, "Keep it below 15, they'll show you where to park." Sure enough men wearing army uniforms inside begin to guide the cars. As the cars slowly drift inside, Blake follows behind the cars and says to Rick, "Walk with me." As Rick follows him inside he see that it had been a military base. To the left were roeads and large factories holding army cars and planes, to the left is a large field and a takeoff zone, and nearly a mile straight ahead is a parking garage and buildings behind it.

"You're the leader," Blake says to Rick more of a statement then a question.

"That's correct."

"I understand you protect your group, lead them, you're use to calling the shots. Some find it hard adjusting to a spot when they're no longer in control. I've had to go head to head with some people; I'm hoping you won't give me any trouble."

Rick shakes his head, "Wasn't plan'n on it."

"That's what I want to hear. I'm gonna need you to watch you're people though. If they cause waves, if they kill anyone I _will _kill them and the rest of you are back on the road, guilty by association."

"I'll watch them," Rick says.

"How'd you end up here," Blake asks in a relaxed tone yet is still reserved.

"We heard your message on the radio."

"Yeah but what happened to your last place? Nobody has made it this far without having had a camp sometime along the way."

"We were at a prison not too far from here,"

"Figured someone eventually clear the prison and take. It's a good spot, secure, safe. How many of you when you cleared it?"

"About nine at that time."

"Nine," Blake says to himself impressed, "I'm gonna have to expect more of my men now. I suppose your group will be very useful. How'd you lose it?"

"Another group wanted what we had. We fought, deaths on both side, the walkers ended up taking over what was left of it."

"Too bad," he says thoughtfully. "Walkers," he says rolling the word around. "That's creative. We call'em deadbeats but I guess walkers work too."

Before there is silence Blake starts again, "This place was an army base. In the beginning there was an outbreak inside. Most of the men ran, were eaten, or decided to chose their own way out." He points to his head with his fingers imitating a gun.

"And you? What did you do?" Rick asks.

"I was one of the few who stayed and made it, only about 30 did as well. All these people wearing uniforms, it's just an act makes new comer's feel comfortable to have some sense of authority. For others who pose as threats are intimidated." Rick understood what he meant; many people seemed to have felt reassured when he had worn his uniform.

The cars pull into spaces inside of a lot filled with cars. By the time Rick and Blake catch up to the cars everyone is already out of the car with their gear.

Blake turns to another man who had been leading the cars, "Max, show our guests to their rooms; protocol."

Blake walks away, but suddenly turns back around and calls to Rick, "How many is in your group."

"13," Rick says back to him.

Blake calls back to Charlie who is still by the cars speaking with another man, "Charlie, change the population count to 313."

Hours later Rick paces his room with a restless Judith rocking her to help her drift asleep. They had just gotten back from being shown around the base and acquainting them with the schedule. They had specific times for meals in the cafeteria, kitchen duties, farming, taking care of the animals, guard duty, and a school time for the kids. There would also be a room for the very young kids to be cared for while other worked.

A knock on the door brings Rick back from his thoughts, "It's open."

Michonne opens the door to the small room, "Do you know where Carl is? The books here are terrible; I wanted to ask if he had finished the ones we got a couple of days ago.

"He wanted to look around," he says holding Judith as she stirs awake.

It brings a grin to Michonne's face to see him handle her so gently and the little girl so happy. Even in the apocalypse he was a better father than some before.

"I actually wanted to talk with you," he says coolly.

She closes the door behind her and strides across the room sitting in the chair next to the bed. "I'm listening."

"I know you didn't want to come here and I apologize. We made a decision that was against you."

"I get it. It wouldn't be fare not to go just because I didn't want to."

"You know if you had put up a fight and refused to come with us I wouldn't have come here. You're a part of our group, our family; we would all follow you."

She's sincerely touched by his words. "Does that mean if I were to walk out right now you would all follow me?"

"I'm hoping you don't get any ideas." Judith begins to cry ending their conversation. Rick pulls out a bottle out of the crib, they had given them. Fortunately another woman had had a baby nearly 2 year ago.

Michonne looks at the baby and a longing erupts inside of her. The need was so strong she could practically feel the pain inside of her stomach. The longing to nurture and care; the longing to be a mother. When she had first gotten to the prison she had initially tried to ignore Judith as it brought back too many painful memories, but looking at the child now all she wanted was to hold her.

"Can I?" Michonne asks the wanting lingering in her voice. Rick nods and sets Judith in her arms with the bottle. Attentively Michonne feeds her. Several minutes of a comfortable silence goes by disturbed only by the little suckling noises from Judith.

Michonne does something that surprises herself. "I…" She pauses unsure, "I was a mom,…before." She expects him to say something, but when he says nothing she continues. "He was three years old when he…died. He was so quiet, you know how most babies cried a lot, he never did. I didn't have problems sleeping, going to the store, going places was never a problem when he was a baby." She rubs off silent tears on her shoulder and continues her story. "He said he wanted to be a lawyer like me." She smiles slightly, "When he would play he would act as the judge and say he was doing what I do. Of course he didn't really understand what I did. After you know everything happened I had my son, my boyfriend, and his brother. We got by. On one really bad day when it had been days since we had eaten…it's so hard to take care of you're baby when he's telling you how hungry he is and he's pleading with you to give him food when there's nothing to give him."

She continues her telling her story, but her mind replays the memory.

"_Yeah, Michonne Why can't we feed our son," Robert asks tauntingly. He answers his question, "oh yeah that's right, because we have no food! We have nothing!" He continues on an idiotic rage with his brother Niall both of them yelling and tearing apart the kitchen of the house they had hid in. _

"_Keep it down," Michonne says as her son hides behind her legs and whimpers. "You're scaring him!"_

_Robert's demeanor calms, but a fire inside of him is still lit. He laughs a sickly sweet chuckle, "The dead roam the streets and my yelling scares him."_

"_Stop it. This isn't like you. This isn't how you used to be."_

"_Nothing's like it used to be Michonne. Nothing."_

_Michonne lifts up her son carrying him to the other room to sleep. Hours later she wakes up to find herself alone. A feeling of boding crawls up her spine as she walks back to the kitchen. Walkers outside growl and slam themselves against the house. On the kitchen floor Robert holds their son in his lap as he plays with a toy car. _

"_Come to Mommy," she says. Niall comes up behind her and holds her hands behind her back. Her son tries to go to her, but Robert holds him down, "She's okay we're just playing."_

_He turns his attention back to Michonne who struggles to get free. "We both know this will never end well. This is the end and there's no avoiding it. We should choose our own way out, I don't want to be ripped to shreds, and I don't want to be alone. We're a family we should all go together."_

"_You don't know that. We could survive, we could find a place."_

"_You're good with a sword, but do you really think that our army could fall to shit, but one woman with a katana is gonna make it past the end."_

"_I want us to live, even if it's not forever. I want to us to live."_

"_Why," he says then points the gun to their son's head and pulls the trigger. Blood splatter his face and the kitchen floor. His body falls limp in his lap. Michonne screams and wreathes back and forth trying to get free. In the back she hears glass breaking followed by thuds, but ignores it. _

"_How could you… how could you," she whimpers like a broken record. All she wants is to hold her son's body, just once more. Robert points the gun at her head, "Don't make this harder than it already has to be." A scream splinters through the air and blood spurts on Michonnes face, Niall lets go off her and she rolls away pulling out her katana. _

_The bullet meant for Michonne slams into the skull of the walker that took a bite out of Niall. A herd of walkers stumble through the kitchen door. Two more walkers are shot. Niall and Robert pull out their axes and work away at the herd. Michonne watches as they kill the walkers. It's not long until Robert is bitten too, and the walkers begin feasting into their flesh as screams of the men join the growls of the hungry. Michonne stands and kills the walkers eating them, and slices through the rest of the walkers that stumble out trying to eat her. _

_By the time they are all dead Niall and Robert lay motionless large chunks of flesh and muscle torn from their body. She drops to the floor, tears streaming down her face, she crawls back to her son's body leaving her sword at the door. She holds her son's body in her lap and cries into his limp body. All thought and reason leaves her as emotion becomes her. Pain and sorrow fill her creating a burning inside of her that is son unbearable, she can hardly breathe. _

_For hours she sits their crying, praying, hoping for something, wanting the impossible. A hand grabs her foot, making her jerk back and sees a familiar face; Niall had turned. She sets down her son and crawls away from the walker that tries to grab at her. She picks up a hatchet and slams it down on his outstretched arms. She stands and is about to make a run for her sword when another walker steps in front of it. She picks up Niall and slams his head down against the counter repeatedly, then lifts the hatchet and kills the walker that had walked in. She turns back around to find Niall standing by the counter, alive and notices her, but not trying to attack her. A low groan behind her catches her attention as she turns back around. An idea fills her head as she walks back over to Robert. _

Rick sits in front of Michonne and holds her hand, "I'm sorry you had to go through that." He imagines if he had to lose Carl like that and pain fills him imagining it. "No one should have to do that."

Michonne wraps one arm around with the other still holding Judith as she cries into his shoulder.


End file.
